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Debussy and De Falla
It's well-known that upon the death of Debussy, Manuel de Falla wrote the "Hommage pour le Tombeau de Debussy" (frequently called "Homenaje a Debussy".) This turned out to be Falla's only work for the guitar, and is considered by many to be the first quality work written for the guitar in the 20th century. The piece satisfied two requests made of Falla: a request for a guitar piece from Llobet; and a request for a contribution to an issue of "Revue Musicale" dedicated to the memory of Debussy. It's often pointed out that near the end of the "Homenage" is a quote from a piano piece by Debussy called "Soiree dans Grenade". I thought some guitarists might like to see Debussy's original of those 4 measures. They represent a main theme of the "Soiree", and begin at measure 17. I've supplied the next 2 measures to give a taste of Debussy's "Mouvement de Habanera".
I managed to work most of the notes into a little guitar transcription, presented in tablature. Tune string 6 down to C#. When nothing is shown under a rhythm stem, repeat the note or notes just played. You'll see that the same chord pattern is simply moved up the fingerboard. The small "h" indicates artificial harmonic.
Frank Vignola and the Hot Club USA
One of the great things about living in D.C. is the Jazz and Blues influences present here for a long time. Django the Gypsy guitarist has haunted the air waves with his music since he actually played.
Mr. Vignola captured the essence of the character so well. From the line up right down to his instrument, he transports the audience back to the smoky little club at 2 in the wee hours of the morning.
No program, no tuxes, no excuses, he brought an equally masterful group to match the old Hot Club line up. James Cerrillo made up for the absent Bucky Pizzarelli displaying fire and reserve with maximum control along with neat fills and voicings that pumped the playing. Murry Wall on Bass stood out in his solos and layed down punchy lines to support the other jamming. Bob Meistro on fiddle hung in well and warmed to a frenzy, while rhythm guitarist Don Keeling held it together and provided a nifty vocal moment. I can imagine what a set must be like in a club in New York.
Mr. Vignola is no stranger to the MCing duties, he proved to be engaging and humorous. And wouldn't you know, Charlie Byrd is remembered again. No wonder when one considers just how much Mr. Byrd had to do with the promotion of guitar in D.C.
Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Messenger from Brazil
A packed house greeted the guitarist as if he were home. And considering his contribution to The Washington Quintet and the influence of South American music in D.C., he could be.
This is one of those programs beyond familiar and one of the reasons people dig the scene here. At one time or another, most of the repertoire will find its way to you, especially with so many of the big time players and teachers so immersed. Its hard not to be taken with the catchy melodies and pervasive rhythm.
Presented in a laid back way, his intensity stood out instead in the playing as Carlos made technically difficult parts sound easy. He took the stage to thunderous applause and played through half a set without a word. All the pieces were memorized. And toes never stopped tapping. In this case the guitar sounded like a whole band: distinct rhythm and bass comparable to a jazz group accompanying a hot guitar soloist. Classical and progressive at the same time.
Among all the South American music he brings the message. Gershwin. And Charlie Byrd. And like the Three Ladies played it last year, beat and rhythm.
Honorable mention has to go to the room. The setting was perfect for a traditional presentation with no microphones. The Westmoreland Church had acoustics that worked well. I'm sure Tim Healy put more than a little effort here in securing the Church for the performance.
Save those program notes. Richard Stover's write up was the best yet with enough to go on for a paper if you need to write one. Over all, seeing the Series in its entirety was a privilege. As my friend Cory Whitehead says "I usually don't have that much time for going into concerts through the front door." Amen, we could all be starving. However, if there is the time, I've heard no better and find the state of our art alive and well and most inspiring. In my crowd there is always a lively debate of what guitar playing is and what styles of playing there are. The series covered the traditional classical to progressive classical, and while it may not seem revolutionary to modern media (the Washington Post chose the Vignola concert to highlight) the fact is that you too may run off with the Gypsies. As Tim says "Carry on and live in the Light." Lets see what Tim and Regis have next year and hope that we can all participate together again. If any of us have ever done any event arranging, then you know just how much those two have put into this.
-Bill Dykes
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